Pai - 20/11/2014 - 23/11/2014
I stayed in a hotel called 'Diamond De Pai'. Basic. It's a shoddy hotel and should be embarrased to call it such or even have the word Diamond in it, it's very Cubic Zircona, if anything or even Elizabeth Duke - no offence to those who own such jewels. Sorryboutit. The 'hotel' room was OK, shower was good. The wifi was terrible, infact it never worked in the room and when I tried to explain to reception I just got a smile and a nodding head in reply, and when faced with solitude wifi becomes your closest companion, sad huh? They do not do laundry, of which I needed doing - stinky. They had a row of mopeds outside of which you couldn't hire. They did not do food either. It was soon apparent I made a grave mistake booking this place. Not only that but also because I actually couldn't meet anyone there, oh and I was about 10 minutes walk from the town centre area.
It quickly became apparent whilst in Pai that in order to get anywhere that wasn't the town centre you needed a moped. Now, I have never driven a moped, and I did think it can't be that hard? I also knew that I am just a bit clumsy, or certainly getting more so as I get older - falling 15 foot over a balcony anyone?! I was yet to experience the full effect of my inability to look after myself (mountain biking). So I did think it wouldn't have been the best idea to hire one...
When I got to Pai I unloaded my belongings and headed straight out of the hotel to explore, and get my bearinigs of the place. It's small and cute. The atmosphere and vibe of the town is great, it has a real hippy kinda thing going on. I had read prior to coming that it's relatively young in age, in terms of being a backpacking town but it's also been purposely set up as one, in the 1980's there was hardly anything there but backpackers came to 'chill' and the town evolved. It has since lost a lot of the drugs, namely cannabis use but remains very much a hippy town. I am sure there is some drug use about but I never experienced it or witnessed it. I sauntered around town and I got the sense that I was going to enjoy my three days here, certainly after the chaos of Bangkok.
I had dinner alone on my first night but stopped at a bar where I had some drinks and met the two belgium people I had met on the bus to Pai, they joined me for a couple of beers and then I went back to the hotel, I was shattered.
I then spent the second day on my own, pretty much, I am pretty good in my own company but when you've spent quite a lot of time with people you do get used to it. It was nice to be alone but I imagine I would have fully embraced and taken to Pai had I been with others, unfortunately when I enquired about trips at the various outlets, everywhere required at least two people. Had I been at a hostel I am sure it wouldn't have been an issue. I could have hired a moped but as mentioned earlier after weighing the balance of probabilities I decided against it as I most definitely would have died (probably). I decided to walk around the town again, the weather was perfect, it was bright sunshine, cloudless skies, and as I was up in the mountains so it wasn't humid. I wanted to do a cooking course so I found the RED ORCHID where I met a lovely lady, whose name escapes me, and arranged to do a cooking course that afternoon. It cost £10 (500baht) and I got to pick 5 different meals, I also got a recipe book for what I cooked and she took me to the local market to buy the ingredients. I returned at 1500hrs and off we went on her moped to the market, bought all the fresh ingredients and returned to her home where I began preparing the food. I should probably tell you what I cooked...
Green Thai Chicken Curry
Chicken Penang Curry
Pad Thai
Spring Rolls
Sticky Rice with Melon
Some market delights, and me ready for action!
Action shot.
Green Thai Chicken Curry // Chicken Penang Curry // Pad Thai.
Pride & Joy - Vegetable Spring Rolls! How awesome do they look?The course was about 4 hours, and eating was included in this time, yep, I got to eat everything I made. That was a lot of food, but natch not a problem for me! Plus, I spent the vast majority of the course one on one so I didn't even have to share it.... #WINNING. After a little while a female German traveller joined us, she had been there for the morning course however she wanted to do her final two courses in the afternoon. She was beautiful, gorgeous, but she was incredibly abnoxious, and at times rude, in my opinion. She was telling the tutor what to do, there's me thinking you're there to learn? Anyways, I couldn't talk to her in the end, as when I tried she was very much into herself. Ain't nobody got time for that.
The course was one of the best things I have done, I had wished for more people to have done it as I thought it would have been great to get to know others in the town but it wasn't to be. I took home some of the spring rolls I made as I couldn't eat them all. I got my recipe book too and I hope to cook some of the meals again soon. Infact writing about the food has made me very hungry!! Thai food is pretty delishylocious it has to be said. Before I left I ensured I got a photo with the tutor, sadly I can't remembber her name but if you go to Pai please go and do this course at RED ORCHID, it is off the main roads of the town, it's just excellent.
My cooking tutor & I.Obvs on this evening I did not need to go out for dinner, I didn't go out for drinks either. I walked through the town again, which at night simply comes alive. It is beautiful. Lot's of street food, stalls, shops, bars playing cool music, and VW camper vans turned into stalls selling various items. One that I visited was a postcard seller, it had occured to me that I had not sent many postcards to home, and I wanted to send one from every place I visited. This VW allowed you to print photos from your phone to make a postcard. I decided to use the photo of me and my cooking tutor that I had just had taken as a postcard. I wrote them and sent them all from the VW. Brilliant. I went back to the hotel and chilled for the evening.
Day & Night shots of Pai.My last full day in Pai was spent by the pool - not at the hotel as it doesn't have one but there is a public outside pool with a bar and restarant outside of the town. The weather was great so it was the perfect way to spend the last day in Pai. The venue is called Fluid. The music was very chilled and cool, working it's way to house tunes as the day went on. The food was awesome, western grub but it was big and delishylocious. The pool area soon filled with like minded folk, I didn't really get talking to anyone, there was no other soloists around.
Whilst in Pai I became acutelly aware of my self confidence problems with approaching people and strumming up conversations etc. It is bizarre as my job involves talkng to people on a daily basis, put me in front of a situation unfolding and I am all over it, put me on my own in a social situation and I freeze up and just become so insular it's so strange. I saw two british girls when I first arrived but didn't talk to them, I am concious being a male that by talking to females they might think I am trying to chat them up, and on the otherside of the coin I struggle talking to males because I don't necessarily have that much in common with them, of course this is a big presumption, also guys are interested in talking to the girls. At home I have many straight male friends so I realise the ridiculousness of the situation and I know this all stems from School and more recently work. This is definitely work in progress.
The pool was great. I decided I would go out for drinks on my final night in Pai, be it alone or otherwise. I walked around the stalls in the evening and ate street food for dinner, it was unlike the street food one would find in Bangkok, it wasn't proper, not when it is sold from VW camper vans! I then had some cocktails in a bar and I people watched. I went to another bar callled ALMOST FAMOUS. At the entrance was the owner, who was so welcoming. She started talking to me, and she made the sensational and controversial claim that her bar has the BEST Mojitos I would ever have. Natch I had to give it a go. She asked me questions about myself and low and behold she knew two Essex girls, who were also in the bar. She introduced me to them, they were with a group of Canadians. I joined them for a drink, and got chatting to two Canadian boys, both of which were incredibly hot!! They soon turned on each other though, verbally, and things got a bit weird. The group left. I remained with the owner who was ALL ABOUT THE CRAY CRAY, she really was amazing. I spent the rest of the eveninig with her. FYI - They are the best Mojitos I've ever had, particularly enjoyed the Melon flavoured one.
My favourite bar in Pai // Almost Famous.
The cray cray owner.After a very drunken walk back to the hotel via MAN MASSAGE, and no I did not repeat Bangkok in Pai - I just loved the sign...
I fell to a slumber knowing I felt quite rested in Pai but very much so looking forward to the next and final chapter of my Thailand journey, in Chiang Mai.
Pai is a very special place, even for me being solo, my love for it could only be elevated if I had someone/people to have shared it with. If you go to Thailand you really must find time to go to Pai. It isn't particularly cultural in a Thai sense but at the same time it is, in a total different way. The town has grown thanks to the backpacking/tourist community alongside the locals. It really is a little gem in the North. You can fly to Pai from Chiang Mai, it only takes an hour, or three hours in a mini bus.
I Heart Pai.
